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Thursday, April 15, 2010

Tate's New Groove

We're working our way back to normal - for us anyway. Had a regular school day and Tate had no problem at all. His appetite is slightly less than average, but picking up.

I'm vacillating between hyper-vigilance and oh-he's-fine-just-look-at-him. Although, looking closely, he's almost but not quite fine. He had the reddest cheeks today, and they felt warm to the touch - but not the rest of him. Not feverish. Go figure.

After dinner, when I sent him and Wyatt upstairs to shower and I reminded him to walk, not run, he had the nerve to put his hands on his head, roll it around, and tease me, "Oooohhh, I think I'm fainting... ooohhhh, I think I'm fainting!" If he collapsed, it was only in giggles.

Little twerp.

And let me tell you.... He was very subdued and quiet while he was in the hospital, but no more. He is talkingtalkingtalkingtalkingtalking. You'd think he had a daily word quota he was assigned, and now that the bottleneck has been released, he's making up for lost time.

Or maybe I'm still getting over the high-intensity of the last few days.

Wow. I just back-read the posts. I really can understand both sides - yours and his.

When I was his age, I had fainting spells, too. The doctors never did figure out what was going on. But Mom learned to listen for my key phrase: "I don't feel very good." Within seconds I'd be on the floor or slumped against a table. Fortunately, I didn't have the "extras" that Tate went through, I just passed out for a little bit, then I'd come back.

Something that might be interesting to explore in your research: Migraines. Back in 2004 I started having dizzy spells - no 'spins', just the world-going-sideways. [I described it to people like sitting in a boat and someone kicking it violently to the side.] Disequalibrium they called it. I had the eye-jitters (called nystagmus), too. [And migraines can cause people to be pale or red faced, too... I've had both.]

After inner-ear testing and an MRI, I had my first experience with the goop and sensors plastered to my head. [I never managed to go to sleep for them, though.] No epilepsy, no MS, no stroke... nothing "big and scary" thank God!

Yup... my neurologist identified the problem as migraines and oddly enough they don't often cause me pain. I learned that the migraine type that causes dizziness is called Bickerstaff's Migraine or basilar artery migraine. The scientists do not believe that the artery is involved, just that it originates in that area. [My neurologist was honest with me enough to say that "as of yet, no-one knows what causes migraines." But anyone, at any age, can have them.

It can be scary stuff to me, too, but I've spent the last 6 years learning to cope with it. The toughest time I had was when the whole left side of my body went tingly to almost numb. Very hard to walk and think when you don't trust your limbs to hold you up.

Patterns and history seem to be the key. I found that many of my dizzy spells came within 2-minutes to 24-hours after exposure to perfumes and fragrances. One good "hit" could bring on symptoms that would last 3-4 days. There were other triggers, too, but that was the biggie. [Note: Triggers are not technically "causes", and sometimes it takes several triggers or repeated triggers to set off the migraine. Technically the migraine was going before the trigger allowed it to manifest.]

If this is something his neurologist has considered, I recommend the book: Migraines for Dummies. It really has helped me to follow-up on my doctor's information as it speaks in easier terms. And, once I owned a copy, I could write in the book and make notes on the medications (and side effects) along with techniques that worked and those that didn't. It's a reference I still use whenever I have a spell or I find myself "feeling icky" which I've learned (for me) is associated with migraine stuff. It helps me to remember that "I've been here before and survived it." [Reducing the directly related stress helps to cope, too.]

Sorry for the long post, and I hope it might have been helpful in some way. You and your family continue to be in my prayers.

About Me

I am a Christian, a wife, and a home-educating SAHM to three very enthusiastic boys. Trying to focus their energy, attention, and exuberance is like herding grasshoppers.
I have a dream, from Isaiah… “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” But the reality is more like “Zena, Queen of the Testosterzone!”
We have a lot more "odd" than "awed" in our lives. Welcome to our corner of friendly chaos.